Occupational Therapy Commons^™

The Experience Of Meditation, And Its Effects On Attention, For Adults With Stroke Or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Three-Part Dissertation With Qualitative And Quantitative Evidence, Cheryl Carrico

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Impairment of attention is common after stroke; is a defining characteristic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); and has been shown to correlate significantly with difficulties in daily life for individuals with these conditions. More research is needed to establish effective interventions addressing impaired attention in such cases. Meditation is not a standard-of-care intervention for this purpose but may have therapeutic potential. Meditation has been broadly defined as an activity which has self-regulation of attention as its main aim. In other words, it can be considered a training of attention. To shed light on the therapeutic potential of meditation, including …

Increasing Social Inclusion For Children With Disabilities In Faith-Based Settings: A Four-Part Dissertation, Valerie Miller

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

The aim of this dissertation is to increase the body of research in occupational therapy about how to increase the social inclusion of children with disabilities in faith-based settings. Even since the advent of important legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act, which paved the way for community participation for individuals with disabilities, individuals with disabilities continue to face barriers to participating in society. Decreased inclusion for individuals with disabilities is seen throughout all sectors of society. One area of regular societal participation for many Americans is in faith-based settings such as churches, synagogues and temples. It has been reported …

Content Validation Of A Patient-Reported Outcome Measure For Pediatric Clients With Hand And Upper Extremity Impairment, Jenny M. Dorich

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Occupational therapists and physical therapists practicing in hand therapy have adopted routine use of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) for evaluating treatment outcomes. However, the PROMs currently used in pediatric hand care are limited in clinical utility for the pediatric population. Thus, a need exists for developing a PROM that is tailored to the pediatric hand therapy population. The overarching purpose of this dissertation is to establish the content validity of a novel PROM for children with hand and upper extremity impairment – the Upper Extremity Life Impact Measure-Youth (UE LIM-Y).

This three-part dissertation applies published standards for PROM development …

Patient And Therapist Perceptions Of Respiratory Functioning Due To Spinal Cord Injury: Implications For Music Therapists, A'Marie Dotson

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Decreased respiratory functioning is a common symptom of spinal cord injury (SCI) and can impact individuals’ personal, professional, and social lives. In spite of this, researchers have not explored the use of music in the lives of individuals with SCIs or music’s role in their healthcare professionals’ treatment plans to improve respiratory functioning. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand how decreased respiratory functioning affects individuals with SCIs and healthcare professionals through a multiple case study design. Participants were two individuals with SCIs and three healthcare professionals (physical therapist, recreational therapist, and music therapist) who worked with …

Readiness For Discharge After Total Knee Replacement: Exploring Patients’ Perceptions Of Discharge Preparation And Providers’ Descriptions Of Pre-Operative Education, Renee Causey-Upton

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Discharge readiness following total knee replacement (TKR) has often been defined using quantitative factors, such as knee range of motion or walking a specified distance. These measurements fail to include other features that could impact readiness for discharge, such as social support or patient perceptions. Most patients have positive results following TKR surgery, however others experience negative outcomes such as falls, reduced functional performance, and hospital readmission. Readiness for returning home after TKR begins with pre-operative education to prepare patients for surgery and the post-operative phase. Health care providers must have a clear understanding of patients’ perceptions of readiness to …

Social Participation In Schools: Developing The Role Of Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Kelly L. Leigers

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

The aim of this dissertation is to build the repertoire of occupational therapy practitioners so that they are better prepared in the provision of services addressing social participation of students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Students with disabilities in general education classrooms tend to have greater difficulty establishing and maintaining friendships (Wight & Chapparo, 2008), have fewer reciprocated friendships (Kemp & Carter, 2002), and lower stability in relationships than peers without disabilities. Furthermore, studies indicate that students with disabilities are less social accepted (Ekornas, Heimann, Tjus, Heyerdahl, & Lundervold, 2011) and are more isolated (Nadeau & Tessier, 2006). …

A Grounded Theory Study Of Maternal Engagement Of Low Income, Young Rural Mothers In Home-Based, Early Intervention Services, Elaine K. Fehringer

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Home-based, early intervention programs as a preferred delivery model are widely endorsed, heavily funded and highly utilized as prevention and remediation initiatives for families with young children (Eckenrode, et al., 2010; Karoly, Killion, & Cannon, 2005). Of concern, is that while an estimated 40 billion dollars are spent annually between federally funded programs and private foundations, a significant number of families disengage from services before the end of a child’s eligibility period (Stevens, Ammerman, Putnam, Gannon, & van Ginkel, 2005). Several meta-analyses indicate only modest effectiveness of home-based services (Tandon, et al., 2008). It is estimated that well over 500,000 …

Exploration Of Factors Associated With Patient Adherence In Upper Extremity Rehabilitation: A Mixed-Methods Embedded Design, Enrique V. Smith-Forbes

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Adherence is considered a prerequisite for the success of exercise programs for musculoskeletal disorders. The negative effects of non-adherence to exercise recommendations impact the cost of care, and also treatment effectiveness, treatment duration, the therapeutic relationship, waiting times, the efficiency of personnel and use of equipment. Adherence to therapeutic exercise intervention is a multifaceted problem.

The World Health Organization (WHO) established the multidimensional adherence model (MAM). The MAM describes five interactive dimensions (socioeconomic, healthcare team and system, condition-related, therapy-related, and patient-related factors) that have an effect on patient adherence.

The first purpose of this dissertation was to explore the MAM …

"Bent But Not Broken": A Mixed Methods Study Of Mothering During Chemotherapy For Breast Cancer, Julie A. Baltisberger

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis of women, with an estimated 232,670 new cases in 2014. With 89.2% of breast cancer patients surviving five years or longer, studies are needed to investigate the long-term impact of breast cancer on women and families (National Cancer Institute, 2014).

The purpose of this study was to examine, using a mixed methods approach, the impact of chemotherapy on mothering occupations for patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Thirty-one women (mean age=39.6, SD=5.79), with breast cancer of any stage, who were currently undergoing chemotherapy and had at least one child under the age of …

Occupational Therapists' Experiences With Ethical And Occupation-Based Practice In Hospital Settings, Joanne P. Estes

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Changes in health care delivery practices are impacting the provision of care in all venues. Occupational therapists working in hospital settings strive to meet professional mandates for occupation-based practice within a medical-model system. Ethical practice is another aspect of service provision vulnerable to contextual influences. The aims of the two studies reported here were to explore occupational therapists’ experiences with occupation-based practice, and with ethical issues, in hospital settings. Grounded theory methods were employed for both studies. Data were collected via individual, semi-structured interviews with 22 participants for the first study. For the second study, nine participants participated in individual, …

Description And Service Innovation In Adolescent Transition Within Kentucky State Agency Education Programs, Amy C. Marshall

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Of all Kentucky youth, state agency children are at the highest risk of making unsuccessful post-secondary transitions to adulthood. The intent of both studies comprising this dissertation was to understand and guide transition planning to make future improvements to transitions of adolescents in state agency programs.

The Kentucky Youth at Risk in Transition Study was a mixed methods study that identified and described the understandings of student transitions in state agency education programs from the perspectives of youth and administrators. The study included 105 nontraditional education programs funded and supervised by the Kentucky Educational Collaborative for State Agency Children (KECSAC). …